Hydraulically operated jaw crushers



March 13, 1962 K. GAULDIE 3,024,609

HYDRAULICALLY OPERATED JAW CRUSHERS Filed June 30, 1960 INVENTOR /(Eflne?72. 6422411:

AT TORNE Y United States Patent filice 3,024,609 Patented Mar. 13, 1962 3,024,609 HYDRAULICALLY OPERATED JAW CRUSHERS Kenneth Gauldie, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, assignor to Hydraulic Crushers Limited Filed June 30, 196i), Ser. No 39,356 1 Claim. (Cl. 60--54.5)

The present invention relates to hydraulically operated jaw crushers of the type described in my prior United States Patent 2,609,994 and comprising a power driven plunger, a jaw-propelling ram, and a commutating valve which, during alternate oscillations of the plunger connects it to the ram and during intermediate oscillations disconnects it from the ram and connects it elsewhere; and more particularly this invention relates to means such as described in my copending application Serial No. 805,- 817, filed April 13, 1959, for transmitting power in such jaw crushers comprising an oscillating cylinder, in which the plunger reciprocates, pivoted on trunnions with which the commutating valve is associated.

One of the embodiments of the invention described in the latter specification comprises a tubular sleeve valve member which reciprocates in fixed bearings and which constitutes the pivot on which the oscillating cylinder is supported.

In this arrangement the transverse forces transmitted between the oscillating cylinder and the tubular valve member and between that member and its fixed bearings may be considerable; and the frictional resistance to reciprocating movement of the valve member may be appreciable. The mechanism for reciprocating the tubular valve member must, therefore, be capable of transmitting relatively large forces.

The present invention resides in a hydraulically operated jaw crusher comprising a jaw-propelling ram, a power-driven plunger reciprocating in a cylinder oscillating on hollow trunnion means, and a commutating valve which during alternate oscillations of the plunger places it in hydraulic communication with said ram and during intermediate oscillations disconnects it from said ram and connects it elsewhere, characterized in that said commutating valve is of piston type and reciprocates in a cylinder extending lengthwise through said trunnion means.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which the single FIGURE is a sectional elevation of apparatus in accordance with the invention.

Referring to the drawing, a plunger cylinder 1 having a plunger 2 reciprocally mounted therein is oscillatably supported on transversely extending trunnions 3 fixed to the plunger cylinder and oscillatably mounted in fixed bearings 4 in a housing 12. A balanced piston type commutating valve 5 is reciprocally mounted in a valve cylinder 6 extending longitudinally through the trunnions 3. Valve 5 has a pair of spaced piston portions 5a and 5b connected by an intermediate portion 50 of reduced diameter to provide a valve chamber 13 therebetween in the valve cylinder 6. It will be apparent that plunger cylinder 1 is in constant communication with valve chamber 13.

Housing 12 has a passage therein leading to a ram cylinder 14 and a passage leading to a space exteriorly of the ram cylinder which space may be the cylinder of another ram or, as shown in the drawing, constituted by an air vessel 11a. Valve cylinder 6 has a port 9 leading to passage 10 and a port 11 leading to passage 15.

Plunger 2 is reciprocally driven in a conventional manner by a crankshaft (not shown).

Valve 5 is arranged to be reciprocably driven from the plunger crankshaft, at half the frequency of the plunger, by mechanism comprising a connecting rod 7 and bell crank lever 8.

The plunger is shown in the drawing at top position and momentarily at rest and the valve in mid-position and moving at its maximum speed, and just on the point, if moving to the right (as viewed in the figure), of opening port 9 to place the plunger cylinder in communication with the jaw-propelling ram (not shown) in the ram cylinder 10 through valve chamber 13 and passage 10, and closing port 11 by piston portion 5b. Movement of the valve in the reverse direction will close port 9 by piston portion 5a and open port 11 to disconnect the plunger cylinder from the ram cylinder and place it in communication with vessel 11a for reception of the discharge fiuid from the plunger cylinder during the nonoperative or idle strokes of the plunger.

It will be appreciated that, during the operation described, the valve will be in practically complete balance, and as no appreciable transverse forces are transmitted through it, only relatively light mechanism, as shown, is needed for its operation.

I claim:

In a hydraulically-operated jaw crusher having a ram cylinder, a plunger cylinder, a housing, a hollow trunnion member oscillatably mounted in said housing, said plunger cylinder being carried by said trunnion member, said trunnion member thereby oscillatably supporting said plunger cylinder, and a plunger reciprocably mounted in said plunger cylinder, a commutating valve mechanism comprising a valve cylinder extending longitudinally through said trunnion member, a piston type valve reciprocably mounted in said valve cylinder and having a pair of spaced piston portions and an inter-mediate portion of reduced diameter connecting said piston portions, said intermediate portion forming a closed valve chamber between said piston portions in said valve cylinder, said plunger cylinder being in constant communication with said valve chamber, and a vessel exteriorly of said ram cylinder, said housing having a passage leading to said ram cylinder and a passage leading to said vessel, said valve cylinder having a first port leading to said ram cylinder passage and a second port leading to said vessel passage, said valve having a first position wherein one of said piston portions closes said second port and said first port communicates with said valve chamber to place said ram cylinder in communication with said plunger cylinder, and a second position wherein the other of said piston portions closes said first port and said second port communicates with said valve chamber to place said vessel in communication with said plunger cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 316,631 Lenhardt Apr. 28, 1885 1,414,965 Mayer May 2, 1922 1,724,553 Bennett Aug. 13, 1929 1,781,416 Sundstrand Nov. 11, 1930 1,921,380 Barker Aug. 8, 1933 2,935,046 Panissidi May 3, 1960 2,938,501 Titcomb May 31, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 8,854 Great Britain Apr. 10, 1911 

